London's Last True Scoundrel (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I've enjoyed Brooks' work before, and when I saw this at the library, I decided to take a chance.It's a well-written story. Jonathan, the Earl of Davenport, is living a reckless and dissolute life after apparently returning from the dead. Hilary deVere has spent her life trying to escape from her family's reputation, so she's careful to always be correct. Her goal is to go to London, have a season, and marry a quiet, respectable man. Of course Davenport and Hilary fall for each other, but Hilary's fighting her attraction because of his awful reputation. However, Hilary is a weak heroine. Even after she admits her feelings for Davenport, and he's asked her to marry him, she runs away. However, after her London friends write begging her to return and enclosing vouchers to Almack's, she's goes back...because now she's sure that London society has accepted her.I was really disappointed in the character! Apparently all she cares about is other people's opinions. It would have been a better story if Hilary finally saw how hollow society's approval really is, and learned instead to think well of herself.So..1 star for the character, but the story itself is solid, so I went with 3 stars overall. Christina Brooke's writing style is by turns hilarious, full of beautiful Regency-turned phrases, and deeply felt. The last third of the book in particular contained some wonderful twists and divergences from the usual cliched plot trail of romance. I was a little unconvinced by the heroine's character throughout the book. I loved Hilary's gumption in the first few chapters, but was disappointed to find her tendency to attack the annoying hero evaporated thereafter.The cast of characters overall was fantastic. Rascally brothers, a sozzled chaperone, and a ladies maid determined to give her mistress some fun, to name only a few. Finally, the scene in which the hero is cast by architectural accident in the image of a classical sculpture, in all his naked glory, will remain in my imagination forever.
What do You think about London's Last True Scoundrel (2013)?
Fantastic as usual-I just wish she would stop ending the books too fast, too neatly, and too sudden.
—Irvinshell03
Charming and entertaining, this was a fun read!
—Elena
